Ionic Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:IXR, OTC:IXRRF) is in line to become the next ASX-listed magnet rare earth oxides (REOs) producer and the first major producer of recycled separated magnet REO in the Western world.
Ionic is rapidly assembling a secure and sustainable Western supply chain for the renewable energy industry. It is a global first-mover in the recycling of neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets to high-purity separated magnet REOs – enabling the creation of sustainable, traceable and sovereign rare earth supply chains.
“It’s clear that the commercial potential for magnet recycling is developing rapidly, and IonicRE is at the forefront of realising this opportunity through its sustainable, traceable innovative technology,” Ionic Rare Earths executive chairman Brett Lynch.
“We are now in a position to capitalise on our first mover advantage, developing a sustainable business that delivers growth in shareholder value while supporting important global policy goals such as net zero emissions.”
Production from wind turbine
At its Belfast Demonstration Plant, IonicRE’s wholly owned subsidiary, Ionic Technologies has began processing end-of-life permanent magnets from a decommissioned wind turbine generator.
Process commissioning of digestion and oxalation stages has been finalised and these circuits have been used to produce batches of mixed REO products. pH adjustment and feed preparation for the mixer-settler separation stages of this production run are underway.
The magnet recycling demonstration plant, constructed last year, has produced quantities of high purity (>99.5%) neodymium and dysprosium REOs. To date, five tonnes of permanent magnets from the seven-tonne magnet have been processed to intermediate REE products through crushing, grinding circuits and digestion circuits.
Significant progress has been made to deliver the demonstration plant and produce high-purity REOs, from end-of-life permanent magnets and magnet production waste streams throughout the supply chain. The company notes that the variability in the REE composition in end-of-life permanent magnets can result in significant variability in the products produced by other recycling technologies.
IonicRE’s offering can accommodate this variability, plus other feed streams such as swarf from rare earth metals, alloy and magnet manufacturing, enabling consistent high-purity REO products of recycled origin, another unique selling point for the technology.
IonicRE is also working with a number of new potential partners to evaluate alternative feed streams to meet demand for production campaigns.
“This is a major step forward in the development of an ex-China supply chain, with IonicRE offering the potential to become the first and only REO recycler from wind turbine magnets in the Western world,” said Lynch.
“The size of the prize is significant, given the tremendous rate of growth in the wind turbine market, particularly given our proximity to the UK and Northern Ireland wind farms market with the Port of Belfast on our doorstep. With over 3,000 wind turbines located across the island of Ireland, the opportunity is compelling.
“IonicRE offers a clean and green process that is leading the way through innovative technology to deliver a secure supply chain for the Western world, underpinning the wind farm industry and other renewable energy sectors critical to global decarbonisation.”
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